CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - People who get a new smart phone, tablet computer, e-book reader or mp3 player rarely focus on the outdated devices they replace. But those discarded products represent a significant waste of energy and materials, and, if improperly disposed of, serious environmental risks.
The two-day second annual Electronics and Sustainability Symposium will address these challenges and others, along with possible solutions. John Pflueger, principal environmental strategist at Dell, will deliver the keynote address at a luncheon at 11:45 a.m. March 23 (Wednesday) at the I Hotel and Conference Center, 1900 S. First St., Champaign.
Other speakers include William Hoffman, environmental scientist with UL Environment, based in Northbrook, Ill.; Andrew Steckl, Ohio Eminent Scholar in the University of Cincinnati's College of Engineering and Applied Science, whose latest work could lead to the creation of a disposable paper e-reader; Charles Newman, founder of ReCellular, based in Ann Arbor, Mich., the world's largest recycler and reseller of used mobile phones; Courtney Rushforth, of the city of Urbana; Bill Olson, the director of sustainability and stewardship at Motorola, producer of the first "green" android phones; Manish Mehta, of the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences, based in Ann Arbor; and Alex Lobos and Callie Babbitt, of the Rochester Institute of Technology.
A full schedule is online.
Registration is $200 for both days, or $125 per day, and includes the opportunity to tour the U. of I. National Center for Supercomputing Applications.
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